Improvement in gathering-attachment for sewing-machines



A. Ev-Emssv Gatherer for Sewing- Machines."

No. 93,979. Patented Aug. 24,1869.

TA/E'SSES.

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ALFRED nvnuiss, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Pcte'ntlt o. 93,979, dated ji'ugust24, 1869.

T33 Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Atrium Evnnrss, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and useful Gathering-Attachment for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked there on, making a part of this specification.

This invention relates lo a new and useful attachment to be applied to sewing-machines for the purpose of gathering, that is to my, crimping or drawing together in small plaits, or folds, the fabric during the time it is being stitched 0: sewed.

The object of the invention is to obtain a simple and economical device, wlich may be applied to any of the sewing-machines n use, which have what is termed a step or drop -fecd, and which will operate automatically, and gather or crimp the fabric with a positive movement, so as to insure the work being done in an even or uniform manner.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings-1;-

]!igure 1 is a front view ofmy invention.

Figure 2, a horizontal section of the same,,taken in the line a; 2 fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the bed-plate of a sewing-machine, which has what is commonly termed a step or drop -feed, the serrated, or toothed plate, which engages with the fabric and moves it along, being designated by a and operated by a lever, 12. This arrangement is the same as that used in the Howe sewingmachinc, but my invention may be applied to any other machine which has a step or (h'op-feed.

B represents the presser-foot, which is secured to the lower end of a vertical rod, 0, by a set-screw, said rod being allowed to rise and fall freely in its bearings, and the presser-ioot retained upon the fabric or work by a spiral spring, which is fitted upon the rod, but not shown in the drawings, as it does not form a part of my invention. and is common to many sewingmachines.

1) is the needle-bar, and E the needle fitted in the lower end of the same. This needle-bar may be operaied in any of the known ways.

None of the parts above described are claimed by me as belonging to my invention, but are drawn and referred to simply to show clearly the application of my invention, which is composed of the folldwing pints:

l! is a rod which is bent or curved so that one part, (I, will be at right angles to the other part c.

The end' of the part 6 passes through the shank of the presser-foot B, and is secured in position by a set-screw, f.

This rod Elias a horizontal position, or is in a plane parallel with the bed-plate A, and at the end of the part (I of said rod there is a swivel-head, or hub g, through which a hole is made to allow a rod, G, to pass through, which rod is secured in position by a set-screw, h.

The rod G is parallel with the as shown clearly in fig. 2,

On the end of the part i of rod G there is fitted part e of the rod F,

loosely a plate, H, the extent of the movement or working of which, on "i, is limited by a pin, j, which projects from i, and passes through a slot, is, in H, as shown in fig. 2. I

This plate H has oneend of a spiral spring, Z,con-

nected with it, and said spring has a tendencyto'keepthe plate H in a downward position, or as near a vertical one as it is allowed to assume.

The .presser-foot B is composed of two parts, in n, the part in performing the usual function of holding the work down upon the serrated, or toothed 'plate a, while the needle is passing through the fabric, the other part a serving as a hearing, or bed-piece for the fabric, the plate H acting upon the fabric directly over 11.

The upper surface of the part a is somewhat inclined from a horizontal plane, as shown clearly in fig. 1,and the fabric 0 (indicated by a red line) passes over the inclined surface of 'n, and underneath the part in, as shown in red in fig. 1.

The part of the rod G which passes through the head, or hub g of the rod F, has a shifting or adjustahleivertical bar, 1), secured upon it by a set-screw, q, the lower end of which bar bears upon the upper surface of the bed-plate A of the sewing-machine, as shown clearly in fig. 1.

The lower end of the bar p serves as a fulcrum for the rod G, as will presently be seen.

I is a spring which is attached to the lower part of the presser-foot B, and bears against the under side of the rod G.

This spring serves to regulate the pressure of the lower edge of plate H uponthe fabric 0, over the part 11 of the presser-foot, during the descent of. the latter.

The operation is as follows:

The fabric being adjusted over the part a and under the part on of the presser-foot, as previously stated, and the machine operated or power applied to it as usual, the fabric will be fed along. by the action of the serrated, or toothed plate a, the latter rising and pressing up the Foot B, and moving laterally to feed the fabric along when the needle E r-ises above and free from the fabric.

As the serrated plate a ascends and raises the foot B against the pressure of a spiral spring upon the rod (J of said presser-foot, the plate H, which is kept in contact with the fabric 0 on the upper inclined part a of the presser-foot, passes down said incline toward the shank of the presser, and crimps or gathers the fabric, as shown in red in fig. 1, the fold being made directly under the needle, so that when the latter descends, it will pass through the fold.

The lateral movement of the serrated or feed-plate it takes place immediately after the termination of its upward movement, and said lateral or feed movement ceases just previous to the descending movement of the plate a and the presser-foot, and as the fabric 0, during this descending movement, is held between the part m of the presser-foot and the feed-plate a, and

the plate H, in descending, moves inward or toward the part on of the presseufoot, over the inclined surface of" the part a of said foot, the fabric is consequently gathered or erimped one fold or plait at each descent of the presser-foot.

' The plate H rises, of course, with the presserfoot, as the rod F is connected to it, and the plate H may have the iength'ot its upward movement, as well as its downward movement varied, increased or diminished, by shifting the position of the bar 1) on the rod G. The nearer said bar is adjusted to the head or hub g of the part d of the rod F, the greater length .or assistance is "required from the operator, so far as forming the folds or plaits is concerned, and hence the gathering of the fabric may be done by any one who can operate a machine for plain stitching.

The device may be readily applied to and detached from the machine, and constructed at a small cost, so

as to be within the reaclrof all using a sewing-machine.

Having thus described my invention,

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

A gathering-attachment for sewing-machines, constructed, arranged, and operated automatically from the presser-foot, in the manner substantially as here'- in shown and described.

ALFRED EVERISS.

lVituessesi A. R. Harem, EDWARD Lyon, Jr. 

